Show n EB JE f fr E n s at a aw t a r 3 e A eat as o t rv n nJ t S' S S 5 f fM I IJ J M e i ix a 4 x S 'S SS'S a t b S t i J JI JM I M r 1 r I rJ S 'S G t p 4 r The Rie Battle of the Kegs from an Illustration for forSon Son Songs s that Cheered the Continentals in the York Times 4 By ELMO ELMp SCOTT WATSON URGENT mCI Nl press dispatch from Philadelphia Philadelphia Phila Phila- delphia brings the news that science has hns solved a mystery of of more than a century and that the lie lost gra grave grae e of ot Hop a signer of ot the Declaration Declaration Declara Declara- tion of ot Independence and one of the most roost brilliant men of the Revolution has hns been bren found at last When hn Hopkinson died diM In to 1711 1701 he was burled in historic Christ Church graveyard Evl- Evl last resting place was unmarked at the time or so marked that through the passage of years all trace of It was lost Last year Dr Charles Penrose Keith of ot the church chinch vestry learned that Elizabeth ElIzabth Comie Conde a daughter of ot Hopkinson was burled lu the old graveyard lie tie obtained permission lon from the Hop llop kinson descendants to dig In this plot In the hope of ot solving the mystery of the signers signer's burial burtal place When this was done part of a sk skeleton leton was found and the bones were sent to Dr Oscar V. V Batson Datson professor of anatomy at the sHy sUy Pennsylvania of who made a careful study of all the available evidence about Hopkinson Including the known authentic portraits of him Taking Into consideration the probable height weight and age of the man whose bones were dug up In the Hopkinson plot In tn the ChristChurch Christ ChristChurch ChristChurch Church graveyard as well as 81 the profile of the skull and checking these with what was known of stature and appearance at the time of ot hi his death the anatomist was able to establish satisfactorily the fact that the grave of ot the signer had at last been found The announcement of this discovery Is espe especially espe- espe dally appropriate at this time for January 6 ti marks the anniversary of an event In the history of the Revolution which brought Hopkinson almost almost al al- al most as much fame fume as the fact that he was a signer of ot the Declaration of Independence It was a comic opera battle baUle which gave him the Inspiration for a u poem that I was set to music and oDd became one of the most popular soldier songs of ot the struggle struggle for liberty That was the famous Battle Dattle of or the Kegs During the Revolution as before and for long afterwards England was the Mistress of the theSeas Seas Except for the victories of John Paul Jones the fledgling American navy was Wai pitifully Inadequate to cope with power of Great Britain But Dut to offset this was American IngenuIty IngenuIty Ingenuity ity which first manifested Itself In 1770 1776 when a Connecticut Yankee named David Bushnell Invented In tn- vented a turtle shaped one man man submarine which lie proposed to tu use for fur attaching bombs and time fuses to the bottoms of the British warships which had sailed galled Into New York harbor to aidIn aid old aidIn oldIn In driving Washington and und his Continentals out of ot that city The task of operating this queer craft was entrusted to another Connecticut Yankee Yan Yen kee Lee Ezra Lee and although he be failed In tn his major objective he did succeed In setting off olf a bomb from beneath the water which threw up a great geyser of ot water and scared the enemy out of the harbor Later In the year the tile British fleet sailed south to aid In to the capture of Philadelphia and anchored anchored an In tn the Delaware river below that city Although Al Al- Although though Bushnell's submarine had not been sue suc successful his Ingenuity was not exhausted Tradition tion credits him with conceiving the Idea of loading loading load load- ing a number of kegs with powder and putting them In tn the river to float downstream and explode against the enemy nemy ships when they touched them Most lost of them blew up when they struck the Ice cakes In the Delaware but one did destroy a British boat This was enough however to throw the British Into something of a panic They opened a ft terrific lire tire on every floating object In Inthe Inthe the river with ship after ship pouring broadsides broadsides broad broad- sides Into the water and und the soldiers gathered along the shores keeping up an Incessant lire fire When heard of or this Incident he be was so amused that he wrote n a satiric poem called The Battle Rattle of or the Kegs KIjs Sung to a van variation varia e- e tion of the tune of Yankee Doodle noodle It tt bP became ame one of the most popular songs of Washington's Continentals during the remainder of the war More lore than that It has hal come down through the they y years as 88 an outstanding example of or the mock mock- heroic poems characteristic of or that period and It has b been en preserved erv d In virtually evel every anthology of patriotic verse and und native songs So even en though Francis had bad never done anything else but hut write The Battle of the J. J Kegs Eg his his' fame ionic would be tie secure But there were other things In his bis record to make him noteworthy noteworthy- lie Ile was 01 torn burn In tn Philadelphia In 1737 the sun aim of un an Englishman who b. b served r ax as a judge of If the ty arid and a mm member u of ot the provincial Magazine eJ r I fl Q QS f S Joseph H Hopkinson A bu by Francis Charles Charle Wilson Peale e lle JOr h Hopkinson THE BATTLE ATTLE OF THE KEGS I Gallants attend and hear a 1 friend Thrill forth harmonious ditty- ditty Strange things Ill I'll tell teU that late befell In Philadelphia City early arIy day as poets say ay Just when the sun tun was rising A soldier stood on wood And saw laW a sight light surprising As in amaze he stood to gaze gaze gaze- The truth cant can't be denied sirs sire He spied a score of kegs or more Come floating down the tide sirs irs A sailor lailor to too in jerkin blue The strange appearance viewing First Fint damned his hil ey eyes eye in great surprise Then said aid Some mischief mischief's brewing The kegs now now hold the rebel bold Packed up like pickled herring heiTing they've come down to to attack the town In this new way of ferrying The soldier flew the sailor tailor too too And scared leared almost to death sirs sire Wore out their shoes to spread the newt news And ran til out of breath sirs Now up and down throughout the town Most frantic scenes were acted And some lome ran here bere and some lome ran there Like men almost distracted Some fire cried which some denied But said laid the earth had bad quaked And girls and boys with hideous noise Ran through the town half hall Sir William he he snug as IS a flea flea Lay all this time a snoring a-snoring Nor dreamed of h harm nn as he lay warm In bed with Mrs Loring Now in a fright he be starts upright Awaked by such a clatter He rubs both eyes and boldly cries For Gods God's sake what's the matter At his bedside he then espied Sir Erskine at command sirs sir Upon one foot he be had a boot And t t other In his hand sirs council was waa the first scholar entered at the University of Pennsylvania then the College College College Col Col- Col- Col lege of Philadelphia and was graduated with Its first class lie He studied law and was admitted to the bar bur In 1701 After Arter serving as secretary to a conference between the provincial authorities and the chiefs of several se Indian nations and as II- II li librarian and secretary of the Philadelphia library he went to England In 1700 and became an IntI IntImate mate friend of lord North Benjamin West John Johr Penn lenn and other notables Upon his bis return to this thle country he resumed his hll law taw pro practice re kept store for awhile and became became became be be- came a member of two societies which united In 1700 To T 1 become me the famous American Philosophical cal so society let In 1772 he be was appointed Inspector of the customs at ut New Ca Castle tle but wa wall waa removed because of his hla radical Ideas lie next nest moved to Bordentown N. N J. J J and was waa a member of the provincial council of that colony from 1774 to 1770 1776 In the latter year he be was elected to the Continental congress from New Jerl Jersey ey and end became became be be- came one of Am Americas America's Immortals when he voted for the Declaration of Independence and und later signed ILAI It IL As AI earl early as us 1774 won a name nama for himself b by publishing an allegory In 10 be he reco recounted the wrongs wrong of the colonies and this U II t j r t. t Arise I Arise I Sir Erskine cries The rebels rebels mores mores more's the pity- pity Without a boat are all aU afloat And ranged before the city The motley crew in vessels new With Satan f for r tb their lr guide sir Packed up in bags or wooden kegs Come driving down the tide sir Therefore prepare for bloody wart warl Those kegs kegl must all aU be routed Or surely we despised shall shaU be be And British courage doubted The royal band now ready stand All ranged in dead array sirs With stomachs stout to see it out And make a bloody day sirs sin The cannons cannon roar from shore to shore The small arms make a rattle Since wars war began Im I'm sure aura no man manEer manEer manEer Eer saw law so ao strange a battle The rebel vales the rebel dales dale With rebel trees surrounded The distant woods wood the hills hina and floods With rebel echoes sounded The fish below swam to to and fro Attacked from every quarter quarter- Why sure lure thought they the devils devil's to pay folks folka above the water The kegs de said tho strongly made mad Of rebel staves and hoops sirs airs Could not oppose the powerful foes The conquering British troops sirs aira From morn mom to night these men of might Displayed amazing courage And when the sun lun was fairly down Returned to sup their porridge A hundred men with each a pen Or mor more upon more upon upon my word sirs It is most true would true would be too few Th Their ir valor to record sirs airs Such feats did they perform that day Upon those wicked kegs sirs sin That years to come if they get home They'll make their boasts and brags sirs airs said to tl hove done much to fan fun the spirit of revolution revolution revo revo- lution lotion In tn all who read rend it Throughout the Revolution tion he continued to use his hla gifts girts as al a writer In 10 Ina a series of satires directed at the British which were published In the newspapers perl of the day Resides Besides being a signer of ot the Declaration of Independence and one of the lell lending healing propagandists propagandists of the Revolution another honor that has been claimed for him by some sODie historians Is II that he be was the designer of the first Stars Stara and Stripes as ns our national flag and that be he had led a hand band In designing the tile first great seal of this nation Although Although Al Al- though the evidence as 88 to his part In giving us ns these symbols Is II not as conclusive as one might wish It to be certainly It Is ta more credible than the evidence e upon which Is II based basI the legend of Betsy Ross as us the designer of the flag One other achievement of deserves mention In the long list associated with his name He lie not only wrote the poem which became became be be- came one of the most popular songs of the Revolution Rev but he also ulso gave to the nation a son sun Joseph who In 10 1793 wrote the song which until Fran Francis tl Scott Keys Key's Star Spangled Banner swept wept the country 10 16 years arl later was wua popularly regarded as the principal national sun song of or the new Dew republic That was Hall flail Columbia C O b by W t rn N Newspaper w p p r Union C J |